Floor-dressing machine.



PATENTED 001. 3,1905.

C. B. WATTLES. FLOOR DRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7. 1903 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 800,962. PATENTED OUT. 3-, I905.

- G- B. WATTLES.

FLOUR DRESSING MACHINE. m ru'onlon rnnn 00127. 1903.

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UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

CYRA B. WVATTLES, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO SUR- FACING MACHINE COMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

FLOOR-DRESSING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1905.

Application filed October '7, 1903- Serial No. 176,091-

To all 1071/0121, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CYRA B, WATTLES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Floor-Dressing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to an improvement in floor-dressing machines, and more particularly to an improvement in floor-dressing machines used for leveling, dressing, finishing, and polishing the raised surface of bowling-allevs.

Bowling-alleys have ordinarily heretofore been leveled, dressed, finished, and polished with tools operated by hand. These operations when done by hand are slow and laborious, requiring great skill on the part of the mechanic to give approximately a level and true surface to the raised floor of the alley.

The object of my invention is to operate the tool by power, the tool in this instance bein a roller covered with an abrasive material, such as sandpaper for surfacing or cloth having a loop pile or nap for polishing, and to move the tool supported on guideways over the raised surface of the bowlingalley by hand.

My invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction of a floor-dressing machine adapted to level, dress, finish, and polish the raised floors of bowling-alleys, said machine having a motor to revolve the dressing-roller, means for adjusting the roller to the angle desired, means for raising and lowering the dressing-roller, and means for supporting and guiding the motor and dressing-roller crosswise and lengthwise of the raised surface of the bowling-alley consisting of a carriage supporting the motor and dressing-roller adapted to run on ways in a frame extending across the alley, which in turn is adapted to run on rails extending lengthwise of the alley to give an absolute level and true surface to the raised floor of the alley, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved floor-dressing machine in its operative posi tion over the raised floor of a bowling-alley. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the bowling-alley, taken on line X X of Fig. 1, showing the dressing-roller engaging with constructed to have the annular flange a the raised floor of the alley. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the carriage supporting the motor and dressing-roller and part of the frame forming the guideways for the car riage. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the carriage, motor, dressingroiler, and part of the guideway-frame and raised surface of the bowling-alley. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the guideway-frame, showing the dressing-roller cov ered with sandpaper and in its operative position on the raised floor of the bowlingalley. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the adjustable support for the rails on which the frame forming the guideways for the carriage is supported and runs; and Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of the permanent coupling in the floor for the adjustable support, showing the screw-threaded openving in the coupling closed when not in use by a screwplug. In the drawings, a indicates an electric motor; I), the dressing-roller; c, the belt connecting the motor with the dressing-roller; d, the carriage supporting the motor and dressing-roller; e, a T-shaped handle pivotally secured to the carriage f, the transverse frame forming the guideways for the carriage; g g, the rails supporting the transverse frame h h, the adjustable supports for the rails, and i the floor having the raised surface i, forming the floor of the bowling-alley.

The electric motora derives its power from a source of electric energy through the flexible cable a, and has the pulley a on the armature-shaft. The casing of the motor a is 9 with the semicircular slots a a and the downwardly-extending arms a a with the bearings a a. The dressing-roller b is se cured tov the shaft 1), supported in the bear* ings c a, and is revolved by the pulley b se-I cured on the end of theshaft b. The pulley b derives its power from the pulley e on the shaft of the motor through the belt 0. The belt 0 is adjusted to prevent slipping by the idler-pulley c, pivotally secured on the lower end of the arm 0 which in turn is pivotally secured near its center to a boss onthe arm a The adjusting-bolt c is screw-threaded.

through the upper end of the arm 0 and bears on a lug extending outward from the arm a as shown in Fig. 4.

The carriage (1 consists of an upper frame sup orting the motor a, adjustably secured to the ower frame. The upper frame d has the flat top (P, with the semicircular central opening (1 for the cylindrical motor and the opening d" for the belt 0, the downwardly-extending leaves (1 d with the slots (1 d, the outwardly-bent lugs d d on the leaves for the adjusting-bolts d (i and the locking-bolts d d extending through the slots a a in the flange a on the motor-casing. The lower frame (1 has the upwardly-extending crossbars (1 d ,-forming the guideways (Z d for the leaves d d of the upper frame, the bosses (Z (1, forming supports for the adjusting bolts 61 d the locking-bolts d (Z extending through the slots (Z d in the leaves d d, and the 0utwardlyextending arms (Z (1 form ing supports for the flanged wheels (1 (1 The T-shaped handle e is pivotally secured to the carriage d by a pin passing through a fitting on the lower end of the handle and lugs on the upper frame d of the carriage. The transverse frame f consists of the two side frames f f constructed to form a rigid support for the carriage d and secured together at the ends a predetermined distance apart by the rods f f On the lower edge of the side frames are the inwardly-bent lips f f forming gui'deways for the flanged wheels (1 al on the carriage d, and on the sides near the ends are secured at right angles the bearings f f for the flanged wheels f 5 f The rails g 9 have the outwardly-turned flange g g, forming the bottom of the rail. These rails are placed at each side parallel with the raised floor of the bowling-alley and support the transverse frame fthrough' the flanged wheels f 5 f on the frame engaging with the rails.

The adjustable support it for the rails consists of the base 71/, with the screw-threaded post 7L2, the lower part of which is in the form of a nut, the fiat head 7L3, with the annular groove h in the under side, and the downwardly-extending sleeve if in screw-thread engagement with the post 7L2, the lock-nut h, and the downwardly-extending' stud h in screw-thread engagement with the coupling it", permanently secured in the floor t by the screws h h". The 0 ening in the coupling b when not in use is c osed by the screw-plug h. The rails g g are secured to the adjustable supports it h by the clamps g 9 having the clamping-screw g engaging with the flange g of the rail, and the upwardly-turned lower end 9 engaging with the annular groove 72/ in the under side ofthe head h of the support, as shown in Fig, 6..

The raised floor '5 of the bowling-alley isconstructed of boards laid on edge and running len thwise of the alley. These boards are usual y made of maple secured to the main floor of the alley.

The rails g g are adjusted andleveled by turning the head it of the adjustable support 7b. The head is lodged in the adjusted posi tion by the lock-nut h and the rail secured to the head by the clamp 9 The transverse frame f is now placed on the rails over the raised floor of the bowling-alley and the carriage d, with the motor and dressing-roller, placed in the transverse framef. If it is re quired to have the dressing-roller at an angle, the motor a is turned in the frame d to bring the dressing-roller to the angle required and secured by tightening the bolts d at, extending through the flange a on the motor-casing. The depth of out required is attained by adjusting the upper frame (1 up or down on the lower frame by the ad justingbolts d (1 The upper frame is then locked in the adjusted position by tightening the bolts (1 (1, extending through the slots d d in the upper frame. The belt a is tightened by adjusting the bolt 0 to force the idler 0 against the face of the belt.

In the operation of my improved floordressing machines for bowling-alleys the first or rough cut on new alleys is usually made by a roller composed of a plurality of circular saws. Rollers covered with. coarse, medium, and fine sandpaper are now used in succession for dressing and finishing, and for polishing a roller covered with felt or cloth having a loop pile or nap may be used. The dressing-roller is revolved at a high rate of speed on the surface of the raised floor of the bowling-alley,- the operator by the handle e moving the carriage d, with the motor and dressing-roller, across the raised floor of the alley. At each forward-and-backward movement of the carriage the transverse frame is moved lengthwise of the alley a distance approximately the length of the dressingroller.

By the use of my improved floor-dressing machine for bowling-alleys the surface of the raised floor of the alley is given an absolute level and true surface in less time and at less cost than has heretofore been done.

It is evident that any form of a motor may be used adapted to this purpose and that a sprocket-chain and sprockets can be used to transmit power from the motor to the dressing-roller without materially affecting the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a bowling-alley-floor-dressing machine, the combination with rails adjustably supported parallel with the raised floor of the bowling-alley, and a rigid frame movably supported on the rails, of a carriage movably supported on the rigid frame, a casing provided with downwardly-extending arms and adj ustably supported on the carriage, an electric motor secured to the casing, a floor-dressing roller secured in bearings to the downwardly-extending arms of the casing, and a III belt connecting the motor to the dressingroller, for the purpose described.

2. In a floor-dressing machine, mechanism consisting of a carriage supporting a motor and dressing-roller, means for adjusting the motor and dressing-roller at an angle to the line of movement of the carriage, means for supporting and guiding the carriage across the raised surface of a bowling-alley consisting of a rigid frame, and means for supporting and guiding the carriage and frame lengthwise of the bowling-alley consisting of rails parallel with the raised floor of the bowling-alley, for the purpose as described.

3. In a floor-dressing machine, mechanism consisting of a power-driven revolving tool, means for driving the too1,means for supporting and guiding the tool across the raised floor of a bowling-alley, means for adjusting the tool at an angle to the line of movement of the tool, means for raising and lowering the tool, means for guiding the tool lengthwise of the raised floor of a bowling-alley, and means for controlling the movement of the tool on the raised floor of a bowling-alley by the operator, for the purpose as described.

l. In a floor-dressin machine, a motor supporting a dressing-m iler, means for transmitting power from the motor to the dressing-roller, a carriage supporting the motor, means for turning the motor in the carriage to adjust the dressing-roller at an angle to the line of movement of the carriage, means for adjusting the motor and dressing-roller vertically in the carriage, means for supporting and guiding the carriage across the raised floor of a bowling-alley, means for supporting and guiding the carriage lengthwise of the raised floor of a bowling-alley, and means for moving the carriage across and lengthwise over the raised floor of a bowling-alley to bring the dressing-roller into engagement with the raised floor of the bowling-alley, for the purpose as described.

5. The combination with a floor-dressing machine, of the electric motor a deriving its power from a source of electric energy through the flexible cable a, the pulley a on the armature-shaft, the flange 11 on the motor-casing having the semicircular slots a a the downwardly-extending arms a a with the bearings a a, the dressing-roller b on the shaft 1) in the hearings or a, the pulley b on the shaft 5, the belt 0 connectin the pulley a with the pulley b and theidIer-pulley c on the arm 0 pivotally secured to the arm a and having the adj Listing-bolt 0 as described.

6. The combination with a floor-dressing machine of the carriage d consisting of the upper frame (1 having the flat top (Z with the semicircular opening d and the opening (1*, the downwardly-extending leaves d d with the slots d d, the outwardly-bent lugs d d for the adjusting-bolts d d and the locking-bolts d d, and the lower frame d having the upwardly-extending cross-bars d d, the guideways (Z d, the bosses (Z d, the locking-bolts d d, the outwardly-extending arms (Z (Z forming supports for the flanged wheels d (1 and the T-shaped handle e pivotally secured at its lower end to the carriage d, as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CYRA B. WVATTLES.

WVitnesses:

ADA E. HAGERTY, J. A. MILLER, Jr. 

